One of the Best Luxury Hotels in Bali – Ayana Resort and Spa Bali
My birthday this year was spent in Bali as Big Teddy and I took time out to travel around the island for a week. We stayed at different parts of Bali from Kuta to Ubud then to Jimbaran. The highlight of our stay was definitely Ayana Resort and Spa Bali. We booked ourselves a Resort View Room for 2 night at USD640, a little birthday treat from Big Teddy.
Ayana Resort and Spa Bali offers a 290-room hotel and 78 private pool villas in Bali spread out along its 1.3 kilometer coastline, in addition to 403 rooms and suites at its sister hotel, RIMBA. There are also 19 restaurants and bars including the famous and iconic Rock Bar; exclusive private beach; 12 swimming pools; world-class Spa with Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pool and Spa on the Rocks treatment; golf-putting and fitness center; and complimentary WiFi throughout the resort.
Our journey from Ubud to Ayana Resort and Spa Bali in Jimbaran was quite a nightmare with the horrendous traffic jam along the way. The mere 45km distance took over 2 hours and Big Teddy almost lost his cool but ultimately calmed down when we finally reached the lovely resort. The poor Uber driver was only getting a fixed rate for this journey but we tipped him at the end. Unfortunately, our first impression of the resort during check in was a tad disappointing as they forgot about us sitting at the reception area for a long time before I had to go to the check in counter to demand for some attention. Apart from this initial hiccup, our overall experience at the resort was overall pleasant.
The Room
Our room was spacious (48sqm in size) overlooking the coastline and landscaped gardens. I loved the comfortable large four poster bed and the Balinese furnishings and touches throughout the room. They also have a big marble bathroom with a separate shower and huge bathtub, which I made good use during our stay. The other amenities were complete, as expected of such luxury hotel.
The Restaurants
Ayana Resort and Spa Bali is so huge that it has 19 restaurants all over the resort. The most famous are definitely the Rock Bar (full review here) where we enjoyed some great drinks overlooking the Jimbaran Bay. We also had a lovely dinner at Kisik Bar and Grill on my birthday, where we had a great seafood dinner during the golden sunset hours (full review here).
Other restaurants that we had tried including Padi (Indonesia, Thai and Indian cuisine) and Damar Terrace (Casual Asian). Overall the food was good at these restaurants. You won’t go wrong with Indonesian Fried Rice or Fried Noodle here in Bali! All their restaurants’ menu and price are available online which is convenient and easily accessible.
The Swimming Pools
Ayana Resort and Spa Bali has 12 swimming pools and the most amazing one is the Ocean Beach Pool, where we had the best sunset experience in Bali while sipping cocktails and lounging at the pool deck.
Tip: Get to the pool early if you want a sun lounge chair to yourself! Bring a book or your iPad if you wanna kill some time while waiting for the sunset.
Final Thoughts of Ayana Resort and Spa Bali
Overall, Ayana Resort and Spa Bali is a good luxury hotel suitable for couples, families or even friends. However, because of the sheer size of the resort, I did find that at times the hotel appeared impersonal. Still, it is a well-maintained property and the standard of service is very good. The sunset here is one of the best I’d ever seen. If you prefer smaller property with more intimate experience, Ayana Resort and Spa Bali could be a little overwhelming. Having said that, if all goes well I’d return in the future and hopefully I’d be able to afford the private pool villa experience then.
Have you been to Bali before? Tell me your best stay experience in Bali!
Ayana Resort and Spa Bali Official Website here.
Food menu & prices are available at the individual restaurant websites.
Address: Jalan Karang Mas Sejahtera, Jimbaran, Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80364, Indonesia
Phone: +62 361 702222
TripAdvisor reviews please click here.
Check out my previous post on Rock Bar Bali at Ayana Resort and Spa here.
Check out my other posts on Bali here.
Do follow my adventures on Facebook here and Instagram here.
14 comments
I have seen the rock bar before. I never knew that there were 19 restaurants on the property. That’s impressive. We haven’t been to Bali but it’s on the list.
I remember the horrendous traffic in Indonesia. Sorry you had to suffer through that, but I’m glad you didn’t let it ruin your trip since this place looks incredible! Once you got checked in, I hope you let all the travel hassle go. Bali is a little piece of paradise, after all. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a resort that had 19 restaurants! I once stayed at a resort for 12 days and it only had one restaurant, I can tell you that got boring! Love the idea of so many choices and I am dying for that matcha treat!
19 restaurants? You can eat at a different restaurant every day for almost 3 weeks! We stayed at St. Regis last time and loved our time there!
It’s such a gorgeous resort! The sunsets at the Rock Bar are breathtaking. Would love to visit one of their many pools!
Wow this resort is huge! So many restaurants to choose from. I love the look of the pools, especially the Ocean Beach Pool where you can watch the sunset.
19 restaurants?! That’s insane haha. The ocean beach pool looks amazing – I can see why it’s so popular for sunsets!
Ohhh I’d love to go to the Rock Bar. That view looks insane. I also love your room with the four poster bed — a perfect bit of romance 🙂 My husband and I will have to look into this hotel when we go to Bali!
Two hours is a long time to be travelling on the road in Bali, I remember getting around to places aren’t my fave part about sightseeing in Bali! The balcony view looks amazingggggg. 19 restaurants and 12 pools really sound crazy lol! I really can’t imagine how huge it is O.O! Do they have like buggies to send hotel guests around the resort?
The hotel has shuttles all around and I think the private villas have their own buggies for guests. It’s quite a big hotel for sure!
It looks like a really beautiful hotel complex, but I think your experience at check-in kind of says it all. If they’re so large that they have nineteen restaurants, there must be so many guests that they really have no idea when they’ve kept someone waiting. However, with those lovely views — I’d stay for a couple of nights, and stay focused on the great things. I hope your birthday was wonderful!
This looks amazing! I’ve just been on a holiday at a private villa in Phuket and can imagine what a wonderful and relaxing time you must have had! Villas are the best for a getaway huh 🙂 do they have private pools though? Sounds like it would get pretty crowded seeing how they have 12 pools to cater to everyone in the resort!
wow this place looks beautiful! I didn’t make it to Jimbaran when I visited Bali but I did hear about the delicious fish market there which I still have to go back there for… would definitely consider this hotel!
OMG this looks like a dream come true! I feel like Bali has some of the best accommodation! I just love that island so so much!